DEMENTIA AND DEATH WITH DIGNITY LITTLE PROGRESS.

Paula Span is an incredible journalist who often offers observations which are cutting edge. In 2015 she wrote about the need for clear and detailed statements about your choices for end of life care if you are suffering from dementia. In particular the individual she was featuring had taken pains to detail that feeding and hydration should be terminated. He simply didn’t want his life to continue in a severely compromised state with little or no dignity left.

It was prescient. In August of 2017 an article was published (not by Span) which described how the State of Oregon had ordered the feeding of a woman with advanced dementia despite what her advanced directives said. The reasoning was that she had “not provided adequate detail” in her directives and because she opened her mouth when a spoon was brought to it, she “wanted to eat and to live”.

The husband (her proxy) filed suit against the nursing home and the court ruled against him. So she remains in a nursing home (at $85,000/ year) being fed by hand. Keep in mind that Oregon is the State with the longest and most progressive attitude towards death with dignity.

As a good adjunct to detailed instructions in the event that someone is develops dementia, it is also worthwhile to video tape the signing of the directives and to have the person state what their wishes are if they become unable to recognize or interact with others. You can do this with your smart phone but be sure to save it to a flash drive.